Tony Cascio is a revelation

Oscar Pareja said the Rapids have had time to put the New York Red Bulls game out of their system. Let’s hope so because that was painful to watch. The coach used the word “distraught” to describe the opening. Seems about right.

The game was over in those first six minutes as the Rapids turned the ball over in crucial areas of the field and were pounced upon by one of the better strike partnerships in the MLS in Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper. It’s easy to pick on Ross LaBauex for the first goal, as many have predictably done since last Sunday, but it was Jaime Castrillon who turned the ball over for that second goal and it was the Colombian again who inexplicably let Roy Miller coast deeply into the penalty box to gift Cooper for the final goal. That’s not to take away from Castrillon’s performance offensively which was one of the better parts of the game. He stole the ball off Rafa Marquez for Omar Cummings to score a beauty and he also came close with a great header in the first half. While we are at it, we can equally say that midfielder Wells Thompson  was largely ineffective in the game.

The point, surely, is not to apportion blame on individuals. Everyone makes mistakes and has bad games. It was an overall bad performance defensively by the Rapids and they will have to be a lot sharper tomorrow with the likes of Pappa, Pardo and Oduro to deal with.

PABLO OUT AGAIN

Once again, team captain Pablo Mastroeni is unavailable. I feel we will be writing a lot of that this season. The veteran has been reported as saying he is only one bad concussion away from retirement and he clearly is not right just now. This may well be a recurring problem throughout this season and the Rapids will have to get used to it.

The good news is that Jeff Larentowicz is back. He may well be partnered by Martin Rivero in the midfield as the young Argentinian has now received his transfer certificate. But, what message could that send to LaBauex? You made one mistake and that is that? If Pareja wants to instill confidence in his young midfielders, some of whom will no doubt be called upon regularly this season, surely the best option tomorrow would be to plunge LaBauex back into the starting line-up, tell him to forget last week and get him back on that horse. Thompson is much more established in the squad and will be a good option off the bench while Rivero is unlikely to be game ready and would be a better bench option too.

The front three of Cummings, Tony Cascio and Brian Mullan look likely to start their fourth straight game. Cascio has been a revelation. His attacking  threat last week was one of the few bright spots in the Rapids game and he is looking like a great pick. Maybe he will take a plunge later in the season as most first year players seem to do but we should all be enjoying his contributions right now.

Ed Clemente chatted this week with the Ginga Ninja, and got his reflections on the disappointing loss to the Red Bulls. Jeff talked about the challenge for Castrillon playing out of position, and the early goals. Our USMNT capped midfielder also shares about his time at Bolton meeting Patrice Muamba, the transition under Pareja, and the superiority of Colorado weather over New England.

Who goes where?

The Rapids enter tomorrow’s game with the New York Red Bulls without the grizzled central midfield pairing of Pablo Mastroeni (concussion) and Jeff Larentowicz (suspension). It is the first time at least one of those two has not been on the field to start an MLS game since Larentowicz moved West to join Colorado at the start of the 2010 MLS Cup winning season.

Game over? Well, MLSsoccer.com seems to think so. Six out of their seven pundits predict a Red Bulls victory even as Thierry Henry et al sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with two opening defeats and one goal to show for their efforts. No-one likes us, we don’t care!

They are certainly major absences for the Rapids, a perfect two and two so far. But it may well be something the squad will have to get used to, certainly in terms of Mastroeni. The veteran is having too many concussion symptoms for comfort and it would not be surprising if he plays a limited number of games this season in what could well be a retirement year.

So, opportunities abound tomorrow for the squad players. Players like Ross LaBauex could really put down a marker and get in Oscar Pareja’s face for the rest of the season, or more importantly the Colombian’s mind. LaBauex, who came on for Mastroeni in last weekend’s victory over Philadelphia, looks likely to start. The other part of the central midfield puzzle looks less clear. Wells Thompson, who has come off the bench in both games so far, could partner LaBauex or Joseph Nane may get the nod. Another intriguing option would be to put Drew Moor in a central midfield holding role, something that Pareja tried in training this week. That would allow Tyrone Marshall to play in central defense. Pareja may be tempted, however, to put Moor in his normal position up against his old friend Kenny Cooper who is likely to start alongside Henry with Juan Agudelo absent on US U-23 duty.

A tough game for sure given the circumstances in central midfield. But don’t write the Rapids off just yet. There is a resolve to this team and this will be an opportunity for them to show the much-discussed greater depth of the side in 2012.

The Rapids are happy this morning to state that a new era has arrived. So much so that they even project a starting line-up for today’s season opener against the Columbus Crew. That’s almost unheard of.

The bad news is that newly signed playmaker Martin Rivero looks unlikely to play unless his International Transfer Certificate arrives miraculously from Argentina before kick-off. I don’t know, can’t help feeling that’s a very bad piece of planning on the Rapids’ part. There is so much preparation that is put in during preseason but a simple logistical step of getting a piece of paper seems to have been overlooked by someone. Rivero was probably bench material for the opener but even so.

Of the eleven likely to start, Tony Cascio stands out the most. The Adrien Brody lookalike has clearly impressed during preseason, not least scoring four times. The rookie, picked up in the Superdraft, is slated to patrol one of the flanks up top with veteran Brian Mullan on the other. The Crew will hopefully remember Mullan’s outstanding performance against them in the playoff last year. The guy was eveywhere. These two will join Omar Cummings on the frontline. The Jamaican has scored in the last four season openers.

One of Oscar Pareja’s big new signings, Jaime Castrillon, will be making his debut today in the midfield with Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz. This could be quite a tasty midfield combination going forward and one which should not be overlooked, but inevitably will be, by media outside of Colorado. Not by the other teams, I’m sure, but by the media for sure. Curious, no?

Drew Moor has been nursing a hamstring problem which kept him out of the Colorado School of Mines game last week but is raring to go aongside Marvell Wynne. Luis Zapata looks likely to be another debutant at left back with Anthony Wallace (season-ending) and Hunter Freeman both out. Expect Quincy Amarikwa or Andre Akpan to come off the bench at some point and regular midfield benchers Ross LaBauex and Wells Thompson to be warming the wood again. Tyrone Marshall will be a reliable replacement for one of Moor or Wynne if needed.

The talk is over, the games begin. Expectations are high, hopefully not too high. No score predictions, who can really tell? But hopeful for an opening day victory.

Subbing off the bench in the 76th minute against Belgium, the Colorado Rapid’s Jeff Larentowicz earned his second United States men’s national team cap. The U.S. National team played a 1 -0 defeat at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday. With only a little over fourteen minutes to evaluate his play, it was hard to truly rate his performance, but he stepped in and played a similar role as he does with the Rapids. Jeff plays as a defensive holding midfielder and is tasked with breaking up opposing attacks in our defensive half. This year for the Rapids, Larentowicz has seen career high numbers in goals scored (6) and has played in all 28 games so far. His six goals currently lead the Rapids tied with Caleb Folan and Conor Casey.

Larentowicz, who in my opinion, isn’t always the most exciting player to watch on the pitch is one of the most consistent players on our current Rapids roster and is well deserving of the U.S. national team call-up. It was great to see him get in the match in Belgium and earn valuable playing time against top talent in the world. With his recent national team training, he should come back to his club team, a little tired, but with a wealth of knowledge to pass along during the Rapid’s CONCACAF Champions League run. His style of play appears to be an important piece to Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. side but it also appears to be a very competitive position as well. Maurice Edu, Real Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman and Michael Bradley appear to be competing for this spot and all have more national team experience than Jeff. It still waits to be seen which players Klinsmann wants in his new system and he appears to be giving many an opportunity to earn their position in the new attack minded style of play. One thing is certain; his formation requires a central defensive midfielder and Larentowicz has earned his call-up. After seeing his second national team cap, it’s now up to him to show Klinsmann he deserves more minutes.

JMH

After our first match against Seattle this year, something changed. There were many mixed emotions after the Brian Mullan tackle earlier this year. I heard the emotions in the press box, in the stands and I could see it on the field. The one thing that came out of that match and the days after was my personal rival with Seattle. As someone with a voice, biased towards the Colorado Rapids, I had and still have to bite my tongue when I see the countless comments from the Seattle Sounder supporters on the web. To me, they are like baseball’s New York Yankees; you either love them, or hate them. Of course the biggest difference is the fact the Yankees have Championships to back up their obnoxiousness. Sorry, but the Open Cup is not a fair assessment of a championship caliber team. The Sounders had one win and five losses in the CONCACAF Champions League last year. This only proves the point that an Open Cup championship doesn’t prove anything but an easy way to get in the Champions League.

Losing to Seattle today hurt. Not because it was another loss, not because we scored three goals and still lost and not because we have anything to prove to Seattle. It’s because I secretly wanted to do the Jeff Larentowicz’s goal celebration clap to every Sounder troll on the internet. I wanted to say, “Get over yourselves. You haven’t done anything meaningful in this league yet.” Maybe it’s because I’m also secretively jealous of the Sounder fan base, the fact they have a jersey sponsor, their front office’s ability to scout new talent and sign designated players.

Do I need to settle and realize we’re a small market team? That we don’t have the passion from our ownership and fan base like Seattle does? Last season the underdog won the MLS Cup. Last season I saw a city get behind their team, our supporter groups grow in size and sell-out crowds come playoff time. The Seattle Sounders are everything I want our team to be, the jewel of Major League Soccer, but also everything I hate in sports, which is the popular club, a club that buys their talent and a team that feels like they should win every match.

Not even discussing how the Rapids played this week (which was similar to every other match this season), my disappointment lays in the fact I wanted to prove to the popular crowd that a small market team can be consistently better than one with designated players or a 36,000+ average home crowd backing their team. I wanted the Rapids to be the clear winner of the match, not on the losing side, looking for more reasons why we continue to lose big matches. The truth is, as much as I don’t want the Rapids to be on the short end of the stick, we are. After all, isn’t the average person an underdog? That’s where the true majority lays. The struggle we see on the pitch this season reflects the highs and lows we struggle with every day, but it’s when you succeed when you need to that matters most. See you in the playoffs, Seattle.

JMH

Inspiring. What a first half for the Colorado Rapids. This was the half of soccer I’ve been waiting for. Something inspiring. Something to cheer for. Colorado opened the first half score sheet with a goal from Jeff Larentowicz at the penalty spot in the 27th minute. Lady luck was on our side when Jeff’s goal was blocked by Greg Sutton and bounced back to the penalty mark giving Jeff a second chance. This time he didn’t miss. Two minutes later, Thierry Henry scores from a pass from Dwayne De Rosario in a crowed 18 yard box. Tied. In the 32’, the Rapids earned a free kick about 25 yards out. Pablo restarted quickly tapping the ball to Larentowicz who drill home a blast to the lower left corner, catching Sutton off guard. Before I could even send the tweet, 2-1 Rapids, the Red Bulls leveled the score from a cheeky little through pass from defender Roy Miller to the fast little Englishman, Luke Rodgers. He beat Kimura and Pickens to the ball and chipped in a goal from 10 yards out one minute after the Rapids took the lead. 2-2. That scoreline took us to the half. As the second half unfolded, each side saw a few good chances to pull ahead. At the end of stoppage time, the Rapids proudly walked off the field with a very well deserving tie. The final was 2-2.

Our recent run of injuries had been a cause to worry for this match. On top of the injuries, the Rapids had just played at home on Sunday so the team was on very short rest. What tonight showed was our team depth. Ross LaBauex got the start and impressed. Sanna Nyassi got the start and had some dazzling plays and a left foot shot that hit the crossbar. Joseph Nane subbed on for Mastroeni and logged a solid 19 minutes, in which he set up Conor Casey for some possible heroics in stoppage time. The injuries to our starters have given the opportunity for our bench to gain valuable minutes. There is still some work to be done, but this match made me excited for our run in the CONCACAF Champions League starting in August. I can’t help but think our starters will be healthy by then and our club will have the confidence from these early season trials to step up and fill roles that need filled.

JMH

Whenever I hear a fellow countryman is heading back stateside, I get all excited. As Tommy Boy would say, “Hello there pretty little pet, I love you. And then I stroke it, and I pet it, and I massage it. Hehe I love it, I love my little naughty pet!” Now of course this is a professional kind of excitement but just trying to illustrate how my eager imagination works. As you might have read, United States men’s national team player, Benny Feilhaber, is coming to the MLS. For the last 3 seasons Feilhaber has been playing in the Danish leagues with Aarhus Gymnastikforening (don’t worry, I can’t say it either) as more of an attacking midfielder. After watching the Colorado Rapids last two matches, our depth at center midfield has been uncovered. Pablo Mastroeni isn’t getting any younger (he’s actually the second oldest on the team at 34) and I can’t help believe that we won’t get a few more knocks in our midfield this season.

Feilhaber is more of an attacking midfielder unlike our defensive midfielder, Jeff Larentowicz. I consider Pablo our best option for getting our forwards service from the midfield and since he has not played the last two matches, our dangerous forwards (any combination you choose) have been extremely quiet. Seeing how our team has developed since the offseason, I believe forward is our most talented position and our defense is even tighter as a core than they were last year. With Mastroeni at 34, Brian Mullan at 32 and Jamie Smith at 30, midfield seems like a position we need to starting looking at for the future as well as for our immediate needs.

So here comes Feilhaber, 26, knocking on the MLS door. He’s never played stateside, having gone to Germany in 2005 after his UCLA experience, and now potentially getting picked up by a team very close to home. Chivas USA has the top allocation ranking for returning US national team players and will most likely use their position to claim Feilhaber. They seem to be in the business of trading away USMNT players for draft picks, allocation money and for players closer to the demographic of their fanbase. Going back to my eager imagination, I’d like to see the Rapids make a trade offer for Feilhaber. Use the comment section below to describe your idea of a realistic package we could offer Chivas USA for Benny.

JMH

In a nightmare that keeps repeating itself, a late goal from a questionable call downed the Rapids on a blustery night at Rio Tinto. A soft free kick in the waning seconds led to this:

The free kick itself was an unwelcome, though probably justified intervention on a night where the referees overall let the boys play. The refs rightly flagged the aggressive goal scorer Fabian Espindola two times, one ruling out a goal in the first half. However, it looked like they missed this one.

Nonetheless, Rapids fans would be amiss to focus on this one moment. The Rapids went toe to toe with their rival, at their house, and the two teams effectively neutralized each other for most of the game. The effort from the boys in Burgundy was everything we expected, if it lagged at the very end.

However, the performance again reiterated a problem that emerged last week versus FC Dallas: a creative void. The midfield pairing of Larentowicz and Mastroeni would never be compared to Xavi and Iniesta in their creativity on the ball. However, the arrival of the Ginga Ninja freed Mastroeni to be distinctly more aggressive in the attack than he has been in recent years. Jamie Smith floated on the wing, sending in crosses or cutting inside and supplying balls to Casey / Cummings, or even Kimura pushing up the wing. Without Mastroeni, we simply have not found a creative force in the midfield, and that is our greatest void right now.

The injury bug has hit hard early season, and it’s true the loss of Casey has hurt. However, Folan has shown a capable replacement. He has pace, a remarkable work rate, and gets off great shots both from his boot and in the air. The greatest loss with Folan is the understanding Cummings and Casey have built over the last few years, but I suspect that will come. Also, Jamie Smith and Quincy Amarikwa both had to be subbed, with apparent hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively. On a defensive note, Tyrone Marshall put in a solid 90 minutes. and the back line was able to maintain a high line affectively versus a pit bull RSL attack. Bottom line, the makeshift front line and back line appear to be more than adequate.

It is the midfield that concerns me. I’ve said that I believe the midfield was the linchpin of our success:  Larentowicz / Mastroeni paired with Moor / Wynne did indeed form the steel of our defense, but Larentowicz / Mastroeni also did a solid job providing supply to the wings, to fullbacks pushing forward, and to the spear of our attack up top. We simply did not look dangerous often enough, and RSL looked the more likely team to score. We had chances, but far less than Rapids fans are used to, and far less than we need against a squad as solid as Fake Salt Lake.

If we are to compete to defend our crown, not to mention the other competitions we are in, we will need to address this shortage at midfield. Smith is adequate in midfield, but is missed on the wing. Wells worked his ass of, but also does not have the touch and supply in attack that Jamie brings. Like Wells, Nyassi brings pace as a sub, but neither is a 90 minute solution.

Gary Smith: if Stan is paying attention, we need another creative Central Midfielder. Pronto. Without it we are still a playoff team, but that’s not good enough anymore. We want to be in the conversation for the title until the very end, and that won’t happen without better supply to our attack.

Pablo, get better soon.

It sounded good. With 3 matches in 10 days, concluding with the massive first leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup, why not test our vaunted new depth? Gary Smith gave super sub Sanna Nyassi and Open Cup starter Joseph Nane a chance to start in midfield, and the result looked more like the Rapids reserve team than the defending MLS Champs.

[Brian: Think of something positive to say for  final draft], but the night was otherwise one Rapids fans will hope to soon forget. David Ferreira spent about the same amount of time behind our back line as Matt Pickens. Our normally stalwart back 4 was porous as swiss cheese, and the tip of of the Rapids spear was sharp as a marble.

This match shows four devastatingly simple truths

1. The Rapids strength starts in our midfield.
   While Mullan may have lost a step or two, his work rate in midfield is currently irreplaceable. While Nyassi is a creative force, Mullan tracks back and kicks shins. He is a dogged defender in getting the ball back and preventing attacks down the wings. Nane was similarly ineffective (@Craig_de_Aragon called him the potential successor to Mehdi).
2. The strength of our defense is in the bottom of the spine.
   The spine of our defense is our steely, defensive midfield pairing of Larentowicz and Mastroeni, combined with Moor and Wynne at the back. Those four control the flow of the game, not necessarily dominating possession but breaking up enemy attacks. Without that spine, and with the wings exposed, it is remarkable we only gave up 3 goals
3. “We are one injury away from being average”
   @BMer916 tweeted this last night, referring to an injury to a CM or defender. After last night I’m more concerned about our central midfield, but his point is absolutely valid. If we lose any of the four members of the bottom part of the spine for any length of time, we are in trouble.
4. We don’t have “Champions” depth yet
   Here’s what I mean: when you look at the Barcelona’s and Man U’s of the world, they have a cache of 3 or 4 players that can fill multiple roles, and keep the team from losing a step when injuries happen. It also allows them to compete successfully in multiple competitions. Now, I know the payroll and scales are different, but the principles remains. Moor, Wynne, and Cummings can play multiple positions effectively, but they are already desperately needed where they are. Wells Thompson has shown himself a capable and flexible sub, but is not a 90 minute solution at any position. Nyassi and Nane did not inspire confidence they are answers either

However, having laid out the serious concerns, in the words of Third Eye Blind, “why don’t you step back from that ledge my friend.” Here are three encouraging signs

1. The Rapids have 11 or 12 are championship Caliber starters
   Folan has shown himself to be a legitimate alternative to Casey, as he will need to be for the next 2-4 weeks after Casey tweaked his hammie. The rest of the starting XI has looked like a team that can repeat.
2. Smith has a long term view
   Remember this time last year, when every week seemed to be a different squad? Smith is not afraid to try combinations and find what works. El Capitan knows that this is a long season, even longer with multiple competitions. He is committed to developing a deeper squad, and either through player development or acquisition, and Vegas odds are that he will pull it off. He’s shown what he’s capable of.
3. Rapids have 9 points out of 4 games
   Concerns about depth notwithstanding, last night also can be partially chalked up to an emotional letdown against an opponent that had a lot to prove. They were “up” for the game, and we weren’t. Plain and simple. That same letdown performance against Chivas USA may have netted us a draw at best, but we simply didn’t play well.

The players need to have a short memory, and get ready for war against Fake Salt Lake. The staff and management need to have a longer memory, and have some hard discussions about potentially trading depth at striker for depth in midfield.